Beautiful Flaws
by Pandamoniumous
Summary: Beauty can come from the flawed, be it flowers, buildings, pictures, or even people. Takes place After the game but before AC.
1. Case of Cloud

**Beautiful Flaws  
_by Pandamonium 808_**

"You know what this place needs?" asked Tifa at the newly constructed 7th Heaven.

"Flowers," said Marlene as she gave the bar a once over before nodding. "Flowers."

Tifa and Marlene both looked over to Cloud who didn't look back at them. "I think it just needs more light."

"For the flowers," said Marlene.

"What about pictures?" asked Cloud.

"No," said Marlene. "Flowers."

Cloud looked down at the little girl wearing the pink dress she usually wore.

"Please Cloud," said Marlene.

Cloud signed heavily as he detested doing anything that seemed feminine, especially doing something like picking flowers. He gulped hard.

"Let's go then," said Cloud to Marlene.

"No," said Marlene. "I have to stay here and look over Denzel."

Cloud's heart sank, he quickly looked over to Tifa who shook her head.

"I have to watch the bar," said Tifa who began to smile as Cloud's dilemma began to unfold.

"Come on Cloud," said Tifa. "After putting on a dress, picking flowers should be easy for such a strong man like yourself."

Cloud's cheeks began to flush red. "I thought we were never going to mention that again. Ever."

Marlene began to giggle as she made her way to Denzel's room which made Cloud turn even more red. He was now as scarlet at the fur on Red XIII's back and as hot as the end of his tail. Cloud tried hard to compose himself before he walked out the door. He took several breaths before finally walking out of the bar. Seeing all of those people walk by didn't help him as he only started to blush again just from the thought of any one of them over hearing their conversation.

"Cloud," called Tifa as she stood in the door way of the bar. "Don't be late okay."

Cloud nodded to her before starting up his bike. He revved the engine a few times speeding off down the streets of Edge. Tifa let out a sigh as she still stood in the door way watching Cloud turn into a small black dot before he turned down another street and out of view.

"Where's did Cloud go?" asked Denzel who probably been woken up from the sound of Cloud's bike.

"He went to go to the Church," said Tifa.

"Oh," said Denzel who began to frown.

"Denzel you need to get back in bed!" protested Marlene stamping her foot down. "Now!"

--

Cloud quickly looked around to make sure that no one was watching. He then quietly slipped into the church and closed the door behind him. Whenever he came back here his heart always skipped a beat. He didn't know why. He looked up at the large hole in the ceiling of the church and watched the light pure into the church and perfectly lit up the flowerbed in the center of the room.

Cloud's body ached and protested at every twitch of muscle he demanded his body to make. Something smelled so nice which made him take deep breaths. He slowly opened his eyes to find himself staring up into a two brown eyes that stared back at him, it was a woman. Cloud began to blush slightly as he saw the other features of her face as she pulled it slowly away. Her soft skin had a slight pink hue to it. Her long brown braided hair rested softly on her back and her long bangs accented her face perfectly, almost making it like seem like he were looking at a beautiful painted with a finely crafted wooden frame. Cloud quickly sat up and got to his feet despite his aching body from falling off the plate above.

"Are you okay?" asked woman. "I thought that you... died when you came crashing in from the roof."

"Yeah I think I'm alright?" said Cloud.

"Oh you're arm," said the woman pointing at his left arm. "You're bleeding."

"It's nothing," said Cloud. "It's just a scratch."

But Aerith ignored him and took the ribbon from her hair and began to tie it around his arm as a make shift bandage. She smiled as she gently but securely tied her ribbon down to his arm and finished it with a bow.

"Do you remember who I am?" asked woman who began to take out another ribbon from her jacket pocket.

"Don't worry you can keep that one," said the woman before Cloud could protest. "That one's old anyway. Come on, you remember who I am."

Cloud thought for a moment as he watched her begin to fix her hair again. He looked away as he began to blush like he was watching her do something that wasn't appropriate in front of him. Instead he looked down at the flowers that he had just smashed when he fell through the roof.

"You're the flower girl," said Cloud.

She smiled brightly at him. "Ya-ya you remembered," said the woman who had finished tying the pink bow into her hair. "Oh my flowers..."

"I'm sorry..." said Cloud who felt bad for crushing them.

"Don't worry they'll grow back," said the woman who knelt down and began to inspect the flowers carefully.

She began to tend to her flowers as she always did every day and she always did it with a smile. Maybe it was Cloud's imagination but her face seemed to turn rosier and softer then before which made Cloud stare even more. Noticing that he was watching her she looked up.

"Don't worry I'll only be a little longer," said the flower girl moving to another spot. "My name's Aerith by the way."

"Cloud," he replied. "... my name's Cloud."

Cloud looked down at the flowers and began to wonder how in the world they were able to grow down here in the Slums.

"This is the only place they'll grow," said Aerith. "In this abandoned church. I don't know why but they just do. I'm almost done.

"There," said Aerith standing up and nodding with approval.

They both looked to the door of the church when they heard it lurch open.

"So Cloud what do you do?" asked Aerith trying to get his attention again.

"I'm..." Cloud thought for a second. "I guess I do a little of very thing." Cloud shrugged.

Aerith laughed a little. "A Jack-of-all-trades then huh."

"What's so funny?" asked Cloud who felt kind of embarrassed.

She shook her head. "Nothing. Cloud could... could you be my bodyguard. I'll pay you."

"Oh... okay," said Cloud who now looked towards the door again to see a man with flaming red hair walk into the church.

"Cloud don't," said Aerith who grabbed his hand and tried to pull him towards the door opposite end of the room.

"Who are you?" asked Cloud the man. Resting on his shoulder was an electro-mag rod. That black suit. Those ShinRa MP's behind him. Turks. "Wait... I know you."

Reno raised an eyebrow. "We got a weird one here, yo," said Reno to the other behind his back who began to laugh.

"Cloud come on," pleaded Aerith. "There's an exit in the back."

Quickly realizing that Aerith would probably be in danger if he stayed to fight, he quickly followed her to the other door.

"Let's go, yo," said Reno following them to the other door. While he did he walked through the flower bed and headed to the door.

"Oh," said Reno turning back around and walked through the flowerbed again. "And don't step on any flowers, yo."

"You just did."

"They're ruined."

"You're crushing them."

Cloud walked up to the flowerbed where the flowers had grown quite well even though no one had really tended to them as much as Aerith had done. Cloud got down on his knees and began to carefully pick the biggest flowers he could find. Cloud quickly got to his feet and began to look around the church. He could feel someone watching him. He tried to reach for a sword but quickly realized he left them on his bike. _Damn. _He'd have to do with the materia he had on him. He reached for the pouch he kept them in and found it missing. _What the hell..._

"Not bad huh Cloud," said Yuiffe standing on a support beam overhead in her hand was a bulky black pouch.

"Yuiffe," said Cloud and instantly recognized the bag. "My materia."

"Catch," said Yuiffe tossing the pouch over to Cloud who caught it with his free hand. "Nice flowers, are you gonna dress up as a woman again and try to sell them?"

Cloud began to blush furiously. _Tifa._

"It was Marlene who told me," said Yuiffe. "She also said you'd be here."

"How long have you been there?" asked Cloud.

"Not long," said Yuiffe. "Just long enough to see you start to cry."

"I wasn't crying," said Cloud defesively.

"Sure you weren't," said Yuiffe jokingly.

"It isn't safe up there," said Cloud who began to eye the support beams. "Come down here."

"Are you kidding," said Yuiffe. "It's as sturdy as a ro-."

The old support beam could hold the weight no longer and broke under the pressure. Yuiffe quickly tried to quickly jump off but she quickly lost her footing and fell backwards. Cloud instinctively dropped everything in his hands and dashed for the falling Yuiffe.

Yuiffe carefully opened one eye to find herself staring up into Cloud's face who was inches from her's. Cloud had shielded her with his own body to protect he from the falling pieces of roof.

"Are you okay?" asked Cloud who had her in his arms.

She could only nod as Cloud set her down on her feet.

"I'm fine," said Cloud. "Don't worry its just a scratch."

He looked up at Yuiffe's face to find it little rosy. She moved a little closer to Cloud. He could see her cheeks become rosier and softer in the dust filled light. He looked deeply into her dark brown eyes to find his own mako blue eyes staring back at him. They just stood inches from each other staring into each other's eyes.

Cloud began to tenderly rub his red cheek. "What was that for?"

"Don't you ever do that again!" said Yuiffe who was now on the other side of the room and had her arms crossed across her chest. "Next time you let me fall!"

Cloud had just finished moving the rest of the debris off of the flower bed for find that most of the flowers had been crushed in the commotion. _The flowers._ Cloud looked over the the flower's he'd dropped and say that they had been completely crushed and destroyed.

"Why did you pick those crushed flowers?" asked Yuiffe as she looked down at the flowers. "Why didn't you pick some of the... oh..."

Cloud and Yuiffe spend the next few hours trying to replant most of the flowers that looked like they still might be alive. Cloud had finished replanting the last un-crushed flower and found that only a few had survived. Even after Yuiffe protested, Cloud refused to throw away the crushed flowers, finally Yuiffe gave up and left. Cloud gathered up the crushed flowers and wrapped them up into coat and carried them to his bike and set them in his lap.

--

"Cloud we were worried sick about you," said Tifa who quickly rushed over to Cloud as he walked into the bar. "What happened."

Tifa's face turned pale as she looked at the bundle of cloth that Cloud held in his arms. _That's not what I think it is. Is it?_ Tifa gulped hard and prayed that it wasn't what she thought it was. Cloud made his way over to the table and set the bundle onto the tabel.

"Cloud what's that?" asked Marlene as she sat at the table.

"Is that a..." asked Denzel who wore a confused look on his face.

Cloud ignored the other and unwrapped the coat to reveal the crushed flowers inside. Everyone let out a sigh of relief as they had been holding their breath. Now it was Cloud who was confused.

"Cloud why did you pick broken flowers?" asked Tifa who quickly changed the subject.

"Because I didn't want to waste them," said Cloud.

"I think they are beautiful," said Marlene picking up one flower to find that it was missing half of its peddles.

"Yeah I think so too," said Denzel.

--

"Nice place you got here," said Reeve as he hobbled into 7th Heaven.

"Thanks," said Tifa with a smile.

"Hmm?" said Reeve as he began to inspect the many vases of flowers around the bar. "You know these are smashed right."

"Yeah that's right," said Tifa. "Even beauty can be found in the flawed."

Reeve shrugged but didn't want to speak any more on the subject, after all art was art.

"Where's Cloud?" asked Reeve as he changed the subject.

"He's on an errand," said Tifa.

--

Cloud had carefully collected the remaining ruined flowers and gathered them into a bouquet that he lay on the edge of a cliff over looking Midgar. Cloud stared at the bouquet of flowers he left at the base of the large Buster Sword sticking out of the earth, much like a tombstone of a grave. The wind blew hard and played with the peddles of the flowers and carried some away over the edge of the cliff, but most of the flowers remained at the grave sight.

--

"Clouuuddd," cried Marlene. "Come on."

Cloud remained planted in his spot which was outside of the camera's lens. Tifa was busy setting up the camera's timer and Denzel was standing next to Marlene, because she would scold him if he moved, but like Cloud, disliked the thought of having a picture taken.

"Let me take the picture," said Cloud to Tifa.

"No," said Marlene. "You have to be in the picture."

"Tifa go," said Cloud ignoring Marlene and moved closer to camera. "I'll take the picture."

Before he could take another step he felt his arm being held back. He looked down to find Marlene pulling on his arm with all of her strength.

"Please," pleaded Marlene which made Cloud turn around to face her. Cloud could see in her eyes that she really wanted this picture taken with everyone in it. She wanted the picture to be taken of her family.

"Go on," said Tifa into his ear as he felt her hands on his back pushing him into the picture. Unable to resist any longer Cloud reluctantly stood in the back row. Tifa then positioned herself in the back of Marlene and Denzel and pulled them closer together.

There on his desk sat the picture of the four of them in a picture from on a crowded desk full of papers, pictures, and notebooks. There sat a picture of a pair of childhood friends with a promise to always be there for each other.

--

Cloud sat on the out skirts of town where the grass was slowly growing in cracks and crevices. He sat there staring out into the desert like surrounds of Midgar and Edge. He just sat there taking slow and steady breaths. He listened to the mating calls of the cicada. He just sat there and twirled a flower that was missing most of its pedals, except for one which was only hanging on by its fibers. Cloud gently felt the softness of the pedal between his fingers. Little by little he pulled on the pedal...

* * *

**A/N:** At first I was gonna make this into a funny story about Cloud and picking flowers but it turned out to this. So how... I'm not sure if I managed to make the ending as dramatic as I had hoped it would but I see pictures in my head not words. Oh and I didn't want to copy the AerithxCloud church scene in the game so I made up my own lines and still based it on the events of that encounter with a similar outcome. Well tell me what you guys think. Jaa mata. 


	2. Case of Yuiffe

**Beautiful Flaws  
_by Pandamonium808 _**

Yuiffe watched Cloud through the crack in the church doors. He was bent over and doing something that she couldn't see. Yuiffe who had come here with a big smile and now she felt awful. She watched Cloud a little while longer before looking to her Chocobo who _warked_ at her.

"Why couldn't I tell him?" asked Yuiffe as she pet Rain's beak. "Why couldn't I tell him how I feel, Kouu?"

Yuiffe sighed heavily and noticed that her hands were dirty and she quickly stopped petting Kouu. She frowned even more as her eyes began to water.

"I hate you Cloud I hate you," said Yuiffe. "I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!"

She couldn't hold back her tears any longer and wrapped her arms around Kouu. Tears began to fall from her cheeks and splash onto his yellow feathers making them seem like crystals that glimmered in the faint sun light that had managed to creep its way through the broken upper half what was once Midgar.

--

Water reflected a soft light from the faint reaches of the sun that just managed to get its fingers throuhg the many dead bleached trees to play with the water. Yuiffe's eyes began to tear as she saw Aerith's body lifeless and lying there. Yuiffe then looked to Vincent who seemed to have pulled the collar of his cloak further up so it would cover more of his face and only his red eyes seemed to show. Red eyes that seemed to long for a person that wasn't there. He was always so sad and this didn't help Yuiffe much as she now began to bawl. She then looked over to Cloud who stood there speechless and unmoving. Slowly he came to a realization, that Aerith was dead. He didn't shed a tear but she knew that his heart was broken. This was the first time she had ever stayed this long with anyone since.

She always looked up to Cloud who was always there like a mountain; never moving, never changing. But now it was her time to be for him. She wrapped her slender arms around him and hugged him from behind. She buried her head into the back of his neck and let go of all her tears. Tears of anger, tears of pain, and tears of sadness.

--

_I hate her! I hate her for making him feel this way! The way she took his heart and tore it apart! ... But I why do I always cry whenever I think about her. Why do I always... feel so sad whenever someone mentions her name._

Yuiffe stared at the entry in her diary that she had torn out. She folded it back up and stuck it into her boot and stared back up at the blue sky. Everyone was drifting slowly apart. Yuiffe looked over to find Cloud's old Buster Sword lodged into the ground as a homage to the place where Zach had died. At its base lay crushed yellow flowers from the incident at the church earlier that day.

--

"Yuiffe?" asked Aerith. "May I ask you a question?"

"Huh?" Yuiffe just stared blankly at Aerith. "Uh... sure I guess."

Aerith took a deep breath. "Do you like Cloud?" asked Aerith.

"What?" asked Yuiffe. "Our Cloud? Our spikey-haired-dumb-blonde-cocky leader? That Cloud?"

Aerith nodded and continued to stare at Yuiffe intently. Yuiffe began to turn slightly red and couldn't look into her eyes any longer.

"No way!" said Yuiffe quickly. "Why?"

"Oh," said Aerith who smiled slightly. "No reason."

Yuiffe continued to stare at the ground as she could feel that her cheeks were still red. She toed her boot on the ground and tried to get her mind off of Cloud. _You just want his materia, yeah that's it. You just want his materia._

"Okay guys lets saddle up," said Cloud.

Cid slapped a hand to his face in embarrassment.

"What?" asked Cloud who couldn't figure out what was wrong.

Cid just continued to walk and didn't answer Cloud. "You heard the man! Let's... _saddle _up! Yuiffe get your fat ninja ass in gear!"

This quickly turned Yuiffe from being embarrassed to furious. "My ass isn't fat!"

"Are you sure? Because all you do is sitting on it all damn day!" yelled Cid who just kept walking on with or without the rest of the group.

"Hey!" yelled Yuiffe but Cid didn't hear her. "Hey! Get back here!"

--

_Yuiffe you're being stupid over nothing. Come on and get it together girl._ She wiped the tears from her eyes with her shirt. _This is just a stupid crush. Right? Right?_

Even thought she should be happy that ShinRa Co. was dead and all that remained for it was the metallic skeletal remains of Midgar, she was far from it. So what was this emptiness that seemed to be brooding in the dark recesses in herself. She ran her slender fingers through her hair and wondered if she should grow it out like Tifa and Aerith had done their's.

--

"So how's my little ninja girl?" asked Shuji looking down at the little girl with short brown hair. "Oh, you got a hair cut."

"Daddy made me cut it this way," frowned Yuiffe. "I makes me look... like a... you know..."

"What are you talking about?" asked Shuji who put a hand on top of her head. "I like your hair this way."

"You're making fun of me again," said Yuiffe looking up at her mentor.

"I'm just saying that you look cute, that's all," said Shuji who laughed a little.

Yuiffe began to blush so furiously that her entire face turned scarlet. This made Shuji laugh even more.

"You know if someone came along they might have thought you were a summon materia," said Shuji who was smiling brightly at her. "Oh I almost forgot."

Shuji began to fish around in his pack until he found what he was looking for.

"Now close your eyes and hold out your hand," said Shuji. "No peeking."

Yuiffe did as she instructed but was getting anxious and wanted to know what her present was. She opened one eye slightly to peek at Shuji. She jumped back as she saw Shuji sticking out his tongue and pulling down on the socket of an eye so it showed the bottom of his eye and his red socket.

"Hey!" remarked Yuiffe. "You're making fun of me!"

"You peeked," said Shuji. "So you're not going to get it."

"Well good cause I don't want it any more," said Yuiffe who quickly turned her back to him and began to pout.

"Alright," said Shuji who removed his hand from his pack. "I'll keep it for myself then."

Yuiffe who was soon over come with curiosity turned around to find that Shuji was quickly walking away.

"Hey wait!" said Yuiffe. "Okay I won't peek! Can I have my present now?"

"Nope sorry," said Shuji waving a hand at her. "I don't think that little ninja girls can have presents."

"Hey! Come on please!" cried out Yuiffe chasing after him. "Shuji please!"

But Shuji just kept walking away. Yuiffe started to run after him, but this only made Shuji break into an all out sprint. They continued to chase each other like some backwards game of cat and mouse. Shuji began to tease her and call her "little ninja girl" which always got her mad and chase after him even harder.

--

Yuiffe was in tears now as she curled up on the ground as the rain started to fall around her. Lying beside near by was one of the pieces of cloth that she used to wrap one the handles of her large shuriken. Wrapped in her arms was her shuriken, on one of the segments was an inscription carved into the shuriken.

_TO MY LITTLE NINJA GIRL._

--

"_Are you just gonna sit there and cry about it?"_

"Shuji..." whispered Yuiffe who began to wipe away her tears. She pulled out the note she tore out of her diary and tore it into tiny pieces so the entry could never be read again. She opened up her hands and the wind took the pieces of paper and carried them off into the distance.

"Now its my turn to be strong," said Yuiffe looking into the sky once more.

"_That's my little ninja girl."_

* * *

**A/N:** Okay, this chapter's shorter than the first and I didn't expect this story to come out with a second chapter but well here it is. There maybe more, there may not be. We'll see. Oh and Shuji is of my own creation, and I'll probably have to explain this character a bit. Shuji is Yuiffe's ninja mentor, responsible for teaching her how to become a successful ninja at a young age. I guess that's it for now. Jaa mata. 


	3. Continuum

_**Beautiful Flaws  
by Pandamonium808  
**_

Professor Hojo had just finished typing up his findings and research into a report to submit to President ShinRa. He pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his long and crooked nose before hitting the save button. There was a sudden knock at his door which he simply detested anyone who interrupted him while he was in his lab.

"What!" demanded Hojo who stared at the door waiting for it to open, which it did.

"Um excuse me Professor sir," said a blonde haired boy dressing in a pitch black suit of a Turk.

"Well what is it?" asked Hojo who was annoyed already as Verdot had sent him his subordinate instead of showing up directly, this could only mean bad news.

"Well sir we have obtained the specimen you requested," said the Turk nervously.

"And?" asked Hojo as he knew there was a "but" coming up.

"But..." The Turk adjusted his tie. "But we didn't managed to obtain the whole subject."

Hojo just glared at the young boy who was now sweating profusely. He withdrew his head back out of the door and soon a girl with her long brown hair put up into a pony tail now stood in his office.

"Excus-." began the girl with a bow.

"My patience is wearing thin," said Hojo who now had his full attention focused on the Young Turks standing inside of his office.

"Well sir, you see," said the girl trying to find the right words.

"No I don't see," said Hojo. "What do you mean you didn't manage to get all of my test subject?"

"Well sir the thing is-." began the girl again before she was interrupted again by another Turk this time.

"It blew itself up," said a man with long jet black hair standing in the shadows of the other two. "Rather then let itself get captured."

"Then what did you bring me?" asked Hojo expecting blood samples or something similar.

"This," said the a man with black hair and a tilak on his forhead, stepped forward and placing a black container on Hojo's messy desk.

"A box," said Hojo. "I didn't ask for a box."

The man punched in several random numbers on the front of the box which then released the locks that held the lid in place. Fog slowly flowed out from the sides as the inside was lined with frozen carbon dioxide to keep the object inside frozen. Hojo reached inside and began to smile as he could make out the contents inside the box.

"Well done, you may leave," said Hojo waving them away to leave him in peace.

--

Hojo sifted through the contents of the box. The head was still in good shape, half a heart was still intact and use able. Hojo took out what appeared to be the burned remains of a liver which he quickly threw out. He carefully extracted the slightly damaged head, heart and spinal column. He had far less to work with before, this should be easy.

--

"- Too much blood has been spilled on this land," said Godo. "Please go back home to your families."

"I'm afraid we can't do that," said the field commander. "We have orders to-."

"How much more of our people do you have to slaughter until you are satisfied?" asked Shake.

"If your people surrendered peacefully we could finally end this blood shed," said the commander. "I am sorry but I am just following orders."

"Well you can take those orders and just-." began Shake.

"Yuiffe!" interrupted Godo. "Get back to the village!"

Everyone looked back at Yuiffe who was trying to hide behind them.

"But-." began Yuiffe.

"I said go home!" yelled Godo.

"I want to fight!" yelled Yuiffe.

"No!" yelled Godo. "This isn't some game!"

"But!" began Yuiffe. "Shuji!"

"Yuiffe go home!" yelled Shuji who was furious.

Yuiffe began to frown as she looked up at Shuji. This wasn't the same kind and laughing Shuji she was use to seeing. His face was stern and his eyes had lost their sparkle that she had loved so much. Shuji slowly walked over to Yuiffe who was backing up slowly.

"I... I'll go home now," said Yuiffe who's eyes were watering.

Shuji caught up to her and fell down to his knees. He put a comforting hand on top of her head like he usually did.

"I'm sorry I yelled at you like that," said Shuji. "But your father's right. This isn't some game."

"But you said that I shouldn't sit around," said Yuiffe. "That I should do something."

Shuji opened his mouth to say something but close it and thought for a minute. "I did say that," said Shuji. "But now isn't the time for you to take action." Before Yuiffe could protested, Shuji started to talk again. "We're taking action so that you don't have to. So that you won't do something that you'll end up regretting the rest of your life."

Yuiffe frowned even more. "You're gonna come home right?"

"Of course I will," said Shuji. "I still have to give you you're present."

"Promise?" Yuiffe.

"Promise," said Shuji. "Now go home and wait for us okay?"

Yuiffe nodded and quickly ran off back towards the village. Shuji continued to watch her run back to the village until she was safe. Shuji then rejoined the others who seemed to have engaged in combat already. The Wutai soldiers were very skilled in combat, thought they were out numbered ten to one they continued to hold their ground against the skill of ShinRa's armies. Unnoticed in the confusion of the battle, a ShinRa special ops unit, AKA The Turks. managed to sneak past the Wutai defensive line and quickly run towards the village and quickly return with a young girl heaved on his shoulder.

Seeing that the ShinRa soldiers were being decimated like the many skirmishes before, the ShinRa commander had to do something drastic to turn the odds in his favor. The Turk tried to quickly climb into the awaiting helicopter but was having trouble trying to heave the kicking and punching Wutai girl into the chopper.

"I'll take that," said the commander grabbing hold of the girl.

"I have orders to take her back to HQ," yelled the Turk over the sound of engine.

"There's a change of plans," said the commander who withdrew a gun and pointed it at the Turk's forehead who happened to have a tilak in the middle.

The Turk let go of the girl and watched them shrink as the helicopter took off as the pilot wanted to get away from the battle which had been brought closer.

"I'm sorry it had to come to this but..." said the commander aiming the gun at Yuiffe's head.

"Shuji!" cried out a familiar voice.

"WHAT!?!" yelled Shuji, who managed to hear her cry. "Yuiffe!"

Yuiffe tried to wriggled free of Tseng's grasp who was standing next to the commander. The battle suddenly came to a halt as both sides just stared up at the commander.

"Let me go!" yelled Yuiffe who tried with all of her might to get free.

"You have have left me with no choice," said the commander. "Surrender now and we'll release her."

"You would harm a child!?!" yelled Godo who was furious.

"I am just doing what's necessary-." began the commander.

A bright blinding light engulfed the entire area which made everyone quickly shield their eyes. The light soon died down only to reveal a tall man with long white hair standing before the group. His outstretch right hand gloved hand was smoldering slightly as he blocked the blast.

"Who are you?" asked Godo.

"Sephiroth; SOLDIER 1st class," said the white haired man.

"Kill them," said the commander.

Shuji again, sent forth another blast of blinding light. Sephiroth again held out his left hand to block the blast again. But this time Shuji quickly threw his shuriken at Sephiroth. After blocking the large blast Sephiroth casually swung his large nodachi forward and caught it with his sword. He continued to rotate his wrist, keeping the shuriken dancing around his sword until he finally released it sending it flying back at its owner who caught it with ease.

"You need to try harder then that simple attack," said Sephiroth spreading his arms leaving his chest wide open to attack.

"Staniv, Shake-." began Godo.

"No," said Shuji. "This is my fight."

"Sir there are soldiers heading towards the village as we speak," said Chekhov.

"Go deal with them," said Shuji. "Don't worry I'll get Yuiffe back."

The defenders of Wutai quickly ran off after the soldiers who made off towards the village in the commotion. Godo stood there for a moment and stared at Yuiffe before joining the others.

"Now where were we?" asked Sephiroth who still kept the tip of his blade down, pointed towards the ground.

Shuji looked back at Sephiroth and charged straight at him and threw his shuriken. Sephiroth quickly raised his sword and charged back at him batting the shuriken aside. Shuji's image disappeared as he was now only a foot away from the commander. Sephiroth grabbed Shuji's arm just as he was about to draw his wakizashi and strike at the commander. _How did he see through my mirage?_ Sephiroth let him jump away and catch his shuriken.

"Sephiroth just do the deed and be done with it," said the commander who gripped Yuiffe's arm tighter as she tried to run away.

"Ow you're hurting me!" yelled Yuiffe.

"Stop struggling girl," said the commander.

"Let her go," said Shuji.

"You're in no position to give me orders," said the commander.

Now it was Sephiroth's turn to be on the offensive. He charged at Shuji who now held his large shuriken in a defensive position much like a shield. Though large his sword was, he could wield it quickly and effectively like it were a regular katana. Yuiffe watched in amazement as sparks began to fly as Sephiroth and Shuji traded blows. They charged at each other and quickly separated only to charge at each other again. Sephiroth's last blow sent Shuji flying back; sending him sliding back on his heels. Just like before, Shuji struck with his shuriken and quickly grabbed the hilt of his wakizashi with his left hand. Sephiroth's sword was locked within the shuriken's grip, but he blocked the oncoming "Shadow Blade" attack from the wakizashi by catching the blade with his hand.

"You're quite a good fighter," admitted Sephiroth.

Shuji tried to pull free, but Sephiroth had him trapped. Shuji could only stare into Shepiroth's eyes.

"If we had met under different circumstances..." said Sephiroth who's hands began to glow a bright white light.

"Shuji!" cried out Yuiffe.

--

"Sir?" asked Elena.

"Yes what is it?" asked Tseng.

"You were day dreaming again," said Elena playfully.

"Oh," said Tseng as he couldn't take his eyes off of the shattered containment cell and the plaque underneath it.

"Red VI?" asked Elena reading the plaque.

A blood curdling scream echoed through Tseng's head.

_For the act of treason. You have been sentenced to dead._

_No don't! Stop! Shuji!_

Tseng had to quickly grab his head as the little girl's cries begged Sephiroth to stop.

"Sir are you alight?" asked Elena.

"I'm fine," said Tseng.

"Hey I found it," said Reno holding up a file. "You ow me a hundred gil pal."

Rude reluctantly fished out ten gil from his pocket and threw it over to his partner.

"Let me see it," said Tseng taking the folder from Reno's hand. He quickly flipped through the file where words started to pop out: Nibelheim, _Sephiroth, Jenova, unaccounted for, Reunion._ "This is it, let go. Burn the rest."

"Molotov Cocktail anyone?" asked Reno tossing a small bomb up and down in his hand.

"What and idiot," complained Elena as she and Tseng made for the elevator.

Reno stuck out his at Elena as soon as she turned her back to him. "Man what a $$#, yo."

"All set," said Rude who adjusted his jacket as he had finished planting the actual bomb in the middle of the room.

Reno and Rude made for the elevator where Elena and Tseng were waiting for them.

"Going down?" asked Reno smartly which made his coworkers shake their heads.

Reno fished out a lighter from his pocket and lit the wick of bomb which quickly caught fire. He chucked it into the lab where it exploded into a mass of glass and fire. The four Turks waited in the elevator and listened to the cheesy music. Tseng just coolly stared at the elevator doors waiting for them to open, Elena glared at Reno who was on the other side of the elevator playing with his lighter while a big "no smoking" sign was only inches above his head, and Rude seemed to be reading the numbers on the display as they counted down. The elevator shook violently briefly as Rude's bomb finally detonated. The elevator stopped suddenly and the lights went off.

"Hit the emergency button, yo," said Reno.

"And who's gonna hear it? The ShinRa Maintenance Deptarment?" asked Elena. "And turn on you lighter."

"Maybe you have to hot wire it, yo," said Reno ignoring her.

There was a moment of silence before a loud yelp from Elena

"What... was that?" asked Reno.

"Nothing," said Elena.

Curious to see what was going on, Reno turned on his lighter to find Rude and Elena blushing. And Tseng continued to stare at the elevator doors as if willing them to open. Rude then pried open the control panel underneath the buttons and began to play with the wiring. Suddenly the lights and elevator music sprang to life and the elevator started moving down again.

"Reno may I borrow your electro-mag rod?" asked Tseng.

Reno shrugged and extracted his weapon from inside his jacket and handed it over. Tseng pressed the button to extend the rod and jammed it into the open wiring of the elevator. The music began to suddenly play faster and was now even more annoying which made everyone cover their ears. Elena quickly grabbed the rod from Tseng and thrust it again into the wiring of the elevator. The music finally slowed down and stopped, but so did everything else. Once again everything was swallowed in darkness.

"Good job, yo," said Reno.

"Shut up."

* * *

**A/N:** Well here's another chapter. I just want to thank you guys for reading and reviewing my story. Yeah at first I was just going to make it into a one-shot, but I just keep thinking about it and well... there's three chapters. So tell me what you guys think. Jaa Mata. 


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